


Nobody but us...

by BellarkeAlways



Category: Sons of Anarchy
Genre: Angst, Angst and Romance, Backstory, Bikers, Doomed Relationship, F/M, Falling In Love, First Love, High School, Opposites Attract, Origin Story, SOA Backstory, Teen Angst, Teen Romance, Teenage Drama, outlaw MC
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:35:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24640972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BellarkeAlways/pseuds/BellarkeAlways
Summary: High School sophomores Tara Knowles and Jax Teller fall in love.
Relationships: Tara Knowles/Jax Teller
Comments: 26
Kudos: 51





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclamer: I own nothing, not the characters, not the SOA kutt, nada. This was just for my own amusement, and because I felt like the Jax/Tara relationship needed more time and a backstory. No bikers were harmed in the making of this fanfic.

Chapter 1

With her beat-up CD walkman tucked into her jacket's interior pocket, headphones blasting Nine Inch Nails directly into her brain, Tara headed out of her house. The walk to Charming Senior High School was long, but she found it preferable to riding the bus or trying to get her dad up take her. The latter was unlikely to happen, and the former would subject her to the sneers of Jessica and Amanda, the two biggest bitches in her grade. They were bad enough during school hours, but she'd rather get run over by the school bus than spend the morning trying to ignore the taunts and balled-up candy wrappers that would certainly be thrown at her. She wasn't really sure why they seemed to dislike her so much, but she knew there was nothing she could do about it besides try to avoid them. 

Walking to school also gave her time to think, clear her head and plan. She was mulling over in her head how to carve out time to study for the upcoming PSATs, between her regular homework, AP Bio tutoring, working at Bonnie's and the occasional baby-sitting gig, when the roar of motorcycles drowned out her music, and all possible thought. She edged further away from the road as two bikes rode past, one slowing down a bit to look at her. She recognized Jax Teller and Opie Winston immediately, which wasn't hard since they were always together, on their bikes or off - Opie's large and somewhat menacing form contrasting with Jax's golden boy looks. She had been in school with both of them for her entire life, and had hardly ever spoken to either of them, though Opie had been in her homeroom for the past two years. Despite the biker aesthetic, Opie had always seemed like an OK guy to her. He was super quiet, doodling in his notebook or sleeping at his desk, rarely speaking to anyone unless asked a direct question, and sometimes not even then. Jax on the other hand, was a star who seemed to absorb all the light around him. She generally thought he was a cocky asshat, always smirking like he knew something you didn't, surrounded by girls, mouthing off to teachers, and basically acting like he owned the place. Even the jocks at school liked him, or at least gave he and Opie a wide berth. Somehow, even though she was pretty sure he spent most of the school day smoking outside behind the band room, teachers liked him, too. Honestly, it annoyed her, how easy everything was for him, and how oblivious he seemed to it. Her life was NOT like that, and as much as she tried not to care, she could admit to being a little envious of a life where everyone just liked you and wanted to be around you. It didn't help her that he had the dreamy bad-boy thing down pat, and blue eyes that made her nervous anytime he was nearby. Not that he and his friends had ever paid her any attention. She was definitely not the kind of girl who would be on their radar. Too plain, too serious, too brunette, too bookish and too dull. She convinced herself it was a good thing.

Tara got to school five minutes after the rain had started, late and looking like a soggy mess in the hallway. Now she was annoyed and cold, with shoes covered in mud, and wanting desperately to be anywhere but at school. Knowing her first class was just Health, a pointless elective run by the gym teacher and one that happened to be full of people who would revel in commenting on her current appearance, she decided to skip it. Instead, she headed to the girls locker room, luckily empty this early, and attempted to dry her clothes under the hand dryers. Once they seemed serviceable, she stuck her head under the hand dryer and tried to comb her hair through with her fingers, praying she didn't catch herself on fire. Eventually too freaked out by the thought to continue, she decided just to throw her hair up in a bun on top of her head and call it a day. Redressed and feeling more human, she realized there were still 20 minutes left until her next class, but she had no desire to slink into health late without an excuse. She rarely broke any rules, especially at school, but some days anger and exhaustion made it so she just didn't have it in herself to care. This was already one of those days, so she slung her backpack over her shoulder and headed towards the band bathrooms. They were one of the least used, and least policed parts of the school campus, with no classrooms nearby and since school band barely existed (and was mostly boys) the girls room was usually deserted, making it the best place for a quick smoke. Tara had hid there before on more than one occasion, when she needed to get away from people, which was also usually when she needed to smoke. It was also not the worst place to study if you wanted to be left totally alone. 

Feeling better as soon as she took the first drag on her Marlboro Ultra Light, Tara tossed her backpack on the sink counter, then hopped up to sit next to it, leaning her back against the mirror. She closed her eyes, and was running her to-do list through in her head, so deep in thought that she didn't hear any footsteps before the door to the bathroom swung open. She looked up in alarm, sure she'd just been busted until she realized it was Jax Teller, looking at her with a combination of shock and amusement. "Knowles?!?" He said in disbelief, right before he started laughing, "You lost, babe?" Tara, still trying to calm her nerves and refusing to assess whether they were caused by her fear of getting caught or her nearness to Jax, shot him what she hoped was a dismissive sneer, and looked away. Taking a steadying drag of her cigarette, she could feel his eyes on her and her face flushing in response, she just hoped it wasn't too obvious. He was making her nervous just standing there, causing the butterflies in her stomach to kick into overdrive. "What?" she finally spat at him, unable to take the awkwardness any longer. Jax just shook his head, smirking, "Nothin'." He leaned back against the wall and continued to watch her, but the look on his face changed from the usual smirk to something more serious, which was unlike him, and unnerved her.

Tara just stared, not really knowing what to say. Pulling out his own pack of cigarettes, he quirked an eyebrow and asked her for a light. She pulled the lighter out of her pocket to hand to him as he walked over, but he just put the cigarette to his lips and leaned in, clearly expecting her to light it for him. She was way too aware of the intimacy of the situation, and couldn't keep her hands from shaking as she tried to flick the lighter on. He noticed too, but instead of making a remake about it, he wrapped his hands around hers to steady them, bringing the lighter up to his cigarette. She was finally able to light it, and quickly pulled her hands away from his, grabbing her own cigarette as though it were a lifeline. They smoked together silently for awhile, which was somehow both weird and not, when Jax started looking at her again with an expression she couldn't read. "You ok?" he asked, no trace of humor or sarcasm in his voice. Surprised at both the tone and seeming genuineness of the question, she replied. "What do you mean?" He frowned at her, "Well, you're not the kind of chick who skips class, and you're sure as shit not the girl who gets busted for smoking at school, so something's wrong." "How would you know what kind of 'chick' I am?" she shot back defensively, "you don't know me." Jax shrugged and relaxed his stance, though her answer seemed to annoy him, "we've been in school together since Kindergarten, I know plenty about you. Little miss straight-A student, type-A personality, too good for the rest of us. Am I close?" 

He was smirking at her, and she felt the heat on her cheeks rise again. She was _so_ sick of being ignored or treated like shit by these people, and here he has the balls to call her stuck up? "Fuck you, Teller." she said, as drily as she could, not wanting him to think he hurt her, as she leaned back against the mirror. He laughed again, "I'm good sweetheart, but thanks for the offer." She rolled her eyes at him and turned to flick her ash into the sink. "What class are you skipping right now?" She looked back at him, debating if she should even respond, "Health now, and maybe calc and gym after that - I haven't decided yet," she shrugged, eyes on the chipped bathroom floor. "Why's that?" he asked. She took the last drag of her cigarette, then hopped off the sink to throw the butt in the toilet. No sense in burning the school down. Turning back toward the sink to wash her hands, she finally replied, "I just can't deal with any of it today, I guess." She felt the weight of her words pressing down on her as she forced herself to focus her gaze on the sink, and not the reflection of the boy behind her. She was embarrassed by her confession, and by the weakness it showed. Mainly, she just wanted to curl up into a ball and go to sleep until the day was over, or maybe the year. "Hey," he said, rousing her from her darkening thoughts, "want to bail on today? My bike's parked in the back lot, no one will even see us leave." 

It seemed like a genuine offer, but she couldn't understand where it came from, unless he was planning on ditching school anyways and was just going to drop her off at her house. "Thanks, but I can't really go home, I'm pretty sure my dad didn't go to work today." She hated admitting that, even though everyone already knew her dad was a drunk, or at least had been since her mom died. Jax just shrugged as though that was totally normal, "no big, we can go to Op's house, his dad's up north at their cabin...plus, they have beer." Seeing the shocked look on her face, he added, the smirk back in full force, "C'mon, It'll be fine. I'm gonna jump your bones, unless you ask me to." To which Tara automatically replied "Gross!" then slapped her hand over her mouth in horror. "Sorry, I didn't mean to say that." Then she started giggling, realizing the absurdity of saying that to probably the hottest guy in school. "Christ, Knolwes, that's fucking cold!" he exclaimed, though she could tell he was smiling. "Seriously, I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to be a bitch. But I'm not going riding with you. Thanks for the offer, though." She gave him a small smile, then turned to grab her backpack. "Not a problem." Jax replied as he moved past her to toss his own cigarette butt, then strode out of the bathroom without a look back. He tossed off a "take it easy, babe" before leaving. Tara didn't have a chance to reply before he disappeared. Not that she had a clue what to say.


	2. Hallways

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Sons of Anarchy or any of its characters. This is just because I love the character of Tara.

Tara ended up not skipping calculus or gym. Realistically, she couldn't imagine ever being that brazen, and she couldn't afford to mess up her grades if she had any hope of getting a scholarship somewhere. She told herself that it was fine for people like Jax and his friends to screw around and not take anything seriously, they were fine staying in this town. She had to get out. Riding around with cute boys was just not an option, no matter how blue their eyes were.

But that night, after finishing all her homework and chores, she curled up in her bed and replayed every second of her encounter with Jax over and over in her head. She thought up wittier responses, ways she could have seemed cooler, a version of events where her hands didn't shake. But then she remembered the lightheaded feeling she got when he cupped his hands around hers and wondered what would have happened if she'd just gone with him. Was she an idiot for saying no? Did she miss out on the chase to have an actual fun high school experience? It made her a little sick to her stomach, this feeling that she had lost out on something she couldn't ever get back. 

The next two days weren't as weird as Monday had been, but it wasn't what Tara would have called normal. Though neither Jax nor Opie rode by on her morning walk to school, she seemed to be seeing Jax in the halls more than usual. Every time their eyes met, he would smile and casually nod his head at her, like they were friends or something. She didn't know what to make of it, but secretly she really liked that he wasn't acting like the other day didn't happen. She even managed to smile back once or twice without tripping over her own feet, which she felt like was a real victory. She started wondering if she should go up and say hi to him but didn't know how she would work up the nerve. Would he want her to, or would it just be super weird, especially since she had zero experience in flirting and was pretty sure Jax could do it in his sleep. 

Her friend Jen dropped into the desk next to her at study hall, "Ok, what is going on with you and Jackson Teller?!" "I don't know what you're talking about," Tara said evasively. "Oh my god, you liar! He's totally been smiling at you in the halls all day when he shouldn't even be on our side of the building!" Tara looked up at this, "where is he supposed to be?" Jen huffed, "that crew is supposed to be in shop class and auto, and all of those other vo-tech classes in the east wing. How do you not know this?" Jen rolled her eyes at her friend. "also, don't dodge the question. What. Is. Going. On." Tara sighed, then told her friend about her Monday encounter with Jax. "Were you dying?? Oh my god, you totally should have gone with him! I can't believe Jax Teller asked you out!" As her friend started getting louder, Tara started getting more embarrassed. "Shut up, Jen. He did NOT ask me out...trust me. He was probably just trying to be nice, I looked totally pathetic." "Yeah, he's not really known for random acts of kindness." Jen had lowered her voice, "maybe he's into you." Tara snorted, "Yeah, no. He hasn't spoken to me since, so it's clearly nothing. Plus, I'm not exactly his type." "Maybe he's sick of his type. Those girls are the worst, anyways." Tara appreciated her friend's support, but she was not going to entertain fantasies of the hot guy wanting her instead of the pretty popular girls who hung all over him. This was not a John Hughes movie, and she was not about to make a tacky prom dress only to be dumped by Andrew McCarthy. Frankly, she always thought James Spade's bad boy character was way hotter anyhow. That made her think of Jax again...clearly, she had a type. 

On her Thursday morning walk to school, she once again heard the sound of motorcycles roaring up behind her. Her heart started to race as she tried to tell herself it could be anyone, it's not like there was a shortage of bikers in Charming. She kept walking, forcing herself not to turn when she realized the bikes were pulling up behind her. She stopped and whipped around to see Jax pulling his helmet off, Opie idling quietly next to him. Her feet were frozen in place, while Jax leaned forward on his bike and raised an eyebrow at her. "Come on, babe, get on."

Jax smiled at her as she just stared back at him, completely confused, "What?" He sighed, "Look, we're not gonna ride by and just let you walk when we're goin' to the same place." Jax explained, as though this was obvious, holding his helmet out to her, "here, put this on and hop on back, don't wanna be late now do we?" he said teasingly. Gathering her courage, Tara walked towards the outstretched helmet and wordlessly took it out of his hands. She was really going to do this, and she could tell by the look on his face that, even though he stopped for her, he was surprised she accepted so easily.

She glanced over at Opie, curious what he thought of this bizarre development, and he gave her a small smile that somehow made her feel calmer. She looked back toward Jax and put the helmet on her head. "That's my girl," he said as he stood up, still straddling the bike. Tara couldn't breathe as he leaned forward and gently secured the helmet strap under her chin. When he was finished, he kept his hands on either side of her face and they were just staring at one another, as she suddenly wondered if he was going to kiss her. She had already decided she would let him if he did, and was about to lean forward when he suddenly straightened and put both hands back on his handlebars. He cocked his head to the side, indicating she should get on the back of his bike. Swallowing, she gingerly put a hand on his shoulder for balance and swung her opposite leg over the bike. She grabbed both sides of his leather jacket and tensed up as they both revved their engines. Jax grabbed one of her hands with his, and pulled it around to the front of his waist, "I don't want you to fall off." He yelled back at her. She nodded and wrapped her other arm around him, locking her hands together over his abdomen, feeling the warmth of him seep into her fingers. She felt him inhale and tense up at her touch, which made her think that maybe this wasn't only affecting her in ways she wasn't really prepared for. It was the most intimate experience she'd ever had, not that she had much to compare it to, but deep in her, she knew this meant something, to both of them. Before she could ponder it any further, he pulled out onto the road behind Opie, and she just tried to focus on staying upright.

Tara was a bundle of nerves the entire ride, between trying not to fall off the bike and her hyperawareness of Jax's body, but she was still hit with a keen sense of disappointment when she saw that they were approaching the school. The whole thing had happened so fast, she hadn't thought about what would happen when they actually got to school. Jax and Opie pulled around to the back of the building, into what was generally know as the stoner lot, and she realized there were already kids hanging out back there. Her heart went into her throat, knowing there would definitely be talk about her showing up on the back of Jax's bike. They would probably not want her hanging out back with them. Not that she thought any of them had a problem with her personally, but it was clear that she didn't belong, even if she was a little on the alternative-goth side of things. She still wasn't one of them.

Jax parked his bike and leaned sideways so he could look at her, putting his hands over her to keep them around his waist, "Told you I didn't bite, babe." Overwhelmed, she said the first thing that popped into her head, "Why haven't you been riding your bike?" He frowned at her, " Um, I have, what do you mean?" Tara cringed, embarrassed, "Oh. I just haven't seen you on the way to school recently." Jax broke out into a giant smile, "You miss me baby?" Tara wanted to die right there, but he kept talking, "Sometimes we take the highway." he explained, turning back around.

"Oh." Tara suddenly felt like the world's biggest loser, realizing she'd assumed he didn't have his bike since he wasn't around on her way to school. Like he would be wanting to see her the way she had been wanting to see him. Annoyed with herself, and with him, she tried to quickly jump off the bike, stumbling when her leg didn't quite clear the seat. Jax caught her around the waist before she could make a total fool of herself and faceplant in the middle of the parking lot. He held her for what was probably only a few seconds to make sure she was steady, but Tara had lost all track of time, and all sense of anything but him. They were so close, she could feel his breath on her neck when he softly said, "all good?" She could only manage to nod, and he slowly took his arm away. She put some space between them as she unbuckled the helmet, focusing her eyes away from him. All of her earlier courage had left her, and she could feel her panic level rise as he got off the Harley. Needing to get out of there, she set the helmet on his bike and gave Jax and Opie what she hoped was some semblance of a normal smile, "Thanks for the ride, Jax. Bye, Opie!" She then turned around and tried her best not to run towards the school, hating herself for being such a coward. 


	3. Jax POV

Jax Teller sat on his bike staring at Tara’s retreating figure, feeling totally lost. He wasn’t usually thrown off by girls, but this one had him completely twisted up. He’d never had to wonder if a girl was into him, all the ones he knew were super flirty and obvious. Tara wasn’t flirting with him at all, and while he was pretty sure she didn’t think he was a total asshole, he wasn’t sure that she was into him either. He didn’t like feeling unsure. 

Because he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her since he caught her smoking in the band bathroom. He’d always thought she was cute, in a quiet, nerdy way, but she had always seemed like she was on a completely different level than he was. She was the smartest in their class by far, and she seemed completely unimpressed by everyone, including him. Hell, especially him. He knew without a second thought that she was out of his league, and so he’d always just focused on the girls who’d been flitting around him since middle school. Why not? But seeing her the other day, sitting on the bathroom counter, skipping class, smoking, and generally being more of a badass than most of the girls he knew pretended to be...she was hot. He thought that he must be a little fucked up in the head if having a girl turn him down and laugh was now his idea of a turn on. But here he was. 

Having her on his bike was way more intimate than he had been prepared for, and it was freaking him out. When he and Opie officially got their bikes a few months ago, the club had thrown them a party. He took a croweater out on his bike, knowing he’d get a blowjob once he found somewhere secluded, yet somehow that felt like less of a big deal than giving Tara a ride to school. Feeling her hands on his stomach had almost done him in, and it took everything in him to stay focused on the road and not embarrass himself. 

He and Op had been riding for years before actually getting licensed and getting their bikes, but his mom had always been a hard ass about not letting anyone ride with him when he wasn’t legal. It made him laugh because it was pretty much the only time his mom gave a shit about following the law. So, maybe his reaction to Tara on the back of his bike was just because it was so new - at least that’s what he wanted to tell himself. But no other girl he’d taken out since getting legal (and there had been a significant number of willing passengers in the past few months) had made him feel like this. Riding with Tara made him feel like a man, which sounded stupid in his head, but he didn’t have any better words to express it. It felt right like she was supposed to be there and not anyone else. 

He knew he was probably being a pussy, but his stomach had dropped as she’d basically ran away from him. Christ, he’d almost kissed her after she nearly fell getting off his bike, it was like an instinct that he’d barely managed to keep in check. Could she tell, and that’s why she ran? He started to worry that he’d fucked this all up, whatever it was.

“Jax.” Opie’s voice started him out of his thoughts, “you know what you’re doing here, brother?” He had known Opie his whole life and knew exactly what he was asking him. “Nope.” Jax sighed, running his fingers through his hair. Opie was looking at him, patiently waiting for him to continue. “Fuck Op, I don’t get this girl at all.” Opie was quiet for a second, turning his gaze back to the school entrance, “That’s cause she’s not one of ours.” There was no judgment in his tone, but it made Jax cringe inwardly because he knew Op was right. It was stupid to get messed up about someone who had no part of or connection to his life. His mom for sure wouldn’t like it. She would tell him he was being stupid and should leave well enough alone. 

If he was being honest with himself though, he had been barely treading water for the past year. Maybe longer, since his dad died, even. He was having a harder and harder time pretending he was ok and happy. Everything kind of felt like bullshit recently, except for riding. Off his bike, whether it was in school or home with him mom and step-dad, even at the club he just...wanted to crawl out of his skin. It wasn't something he could tell anyone about, he'd feel like an asshole and they'd probably just laugh and slap him upside the head anyway. He felt lost and restless and wanted something to change, even if he didn’t know what. Except, maybe he did now. In that moment, he decided that he was into Tara and so he was going to make it happen. Fuck it. 

Jax got off his bike and followed Opie into school, forming a plan in his head along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! I actually wrote another chapter from Tara's POV, but then decided I wanted Jax's perspective as well. Plus side, the next chapter will come much sooner!
> 
> Feedback is motivating!!! Thank you for reading.


	4. Chapter 4

The first three classes of the day could have been run by wizards, and Tara wouldn’t have noticed. All she could think about was her ride to school with Jax, and what it might mean. She had surprised herself by accepting his offer to ride so quickly. Usually, she would have stressed out and overthought it, worrying about whether it was safe, what message she was sending to him, and what other people would say. But for whatever reason, once the shock of him asking her wore off she didn’t have a single second thought about getting on the back of Jax Teller’s Harley. 

Riding on his bike was a more intimate experience than she’d been expecting, and it was messing with her head, and apparently her basic biology. She felt like the parts of her that had touched him were buzzing. It was a disconcerting feeling, being relieved the ride was over and wanting to experience it again at the same time.

It still didn’t justify her cut and run this morning. She didn’t like feeling out of control, and whatever was happening with her and Jax felt totally out of her control. She had wanted to kiss him, badly. It was like a physical pull in her body, and it terrified her. So she ran. Tara put her head down on her desk, embarrassed just thinking about it, and even more embarrassed at how quickly she had become another one of Jackson Teller’s simpering admirers. She had always rolled her eyes at all the girls who were so clearly obsessed with him, but one ride to school and she’d joined their ranks. It was _mortifying_. She had probably ruined her chance with him before anything could actually happen. 

Sighing inwardly, she tried to pull herself out of fantasyland. The odds that Jackson Teller was legit into her were slim to none. Also, Jax was not someone she had ever thought of as a good guy, and he was definitely NOT boyfriend material. Frankly, she thought a more likely  scenario was that he had slept with all the girls at CHHS, and she was the only option left. Or, he lost a bet? Maybe it was some kind of motorcycle gang initiation - hook up with a square. The options for embarrassment were endless. Tara knew she was being more than a little dramatic, but she figured she was entitled. This whole week had been bizarre, and it wasn’t even over yet. 

The bell rang, and Tara realized that she had again not taken a single note. Annoyed with herself, she grabbed her things and headed toward the door, only to see Jax leaning against the lockers across from her classroom. He met her in the doorway with a half smile and a casual, “Hey Knowles, ready for Spanish?” Ignoring the shocked look on her face he reached around to grab her backpack off her shoulder, and slung it onto his own. His hand on the small of her back, he started guiding her down the hallway. Trying to ignore the stares they were getting in the halls, she looked up at him with what she hoped was a stern expression. 

“What are you doing?” She quietly hissed, “and how do you even know what class I have next?” He grinned down at her, “Tara, I’m just helping you get to class.” His warm hand was still on her lower back, making it hard for her to focus. As they arrived at the door to her Spanish class, he leaned close to her and whispered, “And I already told you, babe, I know plenty of things about you.” 

Tara snorted back a laugh, “Sure you do, Jax.” She rolled her eyes at him as he gave her back her backpack, but she couldn’t quite tamp down her smile. “Op and I’ll give you a ride home today, meet us back at the bikes, okay?” Tara was torn between wanting to be annoyed by his presumption, and her excitement at spending more time with him. Before she could answer, he took her hand and raised it to his lips, never taking his eyes off of her. Then he gave her what she now thought of as his trademark smirk and walked off with a casual “Later, Knowles”, leaving her gaping after him, heart again racing. 

Tara walked to her desk on autopilot, mind in a fog. What was he doing? She was more confused than ever, but there was a giddiness too. Her knuckles still tingled where he kissed them. She wondered if she could handle it if he REALLY kissed her, or if her entire body would just dissolve into a puddle on the floor. God, she wanted to kiss him. Would they kiss when he dropped her off at home today? Would he ask her out? The thought made her stomach flip, and she knew she was going to be a jittery mess by the end of the day. The only plus was knowing that her earlier stress about him being annoyed at her running off was clearly unnecessary. 

And, she didn’t think he would be so public if he was just trying to hook up with her. Kissing her hand? She replayed it over and over in her head, reveling in the fuzzy feeling she got every time. Tara let herself think about how cool it would be to date someone like Jax. To have him have her back, and to feel like you meant something to someone. It would mean she’d be completely protected at school - no one would dare to mess with Jax Teller’s girlfriend. Not  that she actually believed that was going to happen, but Tara figured a daydream or two couldn’t hurt.

It was then that she noticed that people were giving her weird looks and there were at least a few people in her class who seemed to clearly be talking about her. Tara slouched down in her seat and bent her head to stare at her Spanish book, letting her hair cover her face. She had always been kind of a non-entity at school, maybe a little on the alterna side, but nothing that made her stand out. She certainly wasn’t used to being the subject of gossip. Occasionally, Jessica or one of her bitchy subordinates would make some remark about her drunk dad, but she had long ago learned to tune that out. Most people didn’t care about her one way or the other. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that changing. Suddenly, her daydream didn’t seem like such a private, harmless thing.

  
  


  
  
  


  
  
  



	5. Jax POV

“Christ, kissing her hand?!” Jax mumbled to himself, feeling like he wanted to punch something. What the hell was wrong with him? She probably thought he was a complete tool now, and if she didn’t she really should. He didn't know what it was about her that was getting to him so badly. She had been all he thought about since this morning. He spent the first few hours of the day just feeling this incredible need to see her again, to reassure himself that what he was feeling wasn’t crazy. He’d found himself waiting for her outside of her class like a lovesick dork, trying like hell to ignore his racing heartbeat and just be chill. It wasn’t something he usually had to work at, and it sucked that he couldn’t keep his cool around Tara. The truth was when he saw her walking towards him out of class it was like someone was squeezing the inside of his chest and he had to force himself to breathe. It was more than just thinking she was hot (though he totally did) but there was something about her that made him want to be near her, touching her. No other girl had ever affected him this way, not even close. He’d always thought girls were more or less interchangeable, but man, this girl had proved him wrong. 

He knew he was setting himself up for major embarrassment if she ended up blowing him off. That worried him more than he wanted to admit. He was being way more obvious about his interest in Tara than he’d ever been with any other girl. But she was so different from those girls, and he knew he needed to do this differently, better if he wanted a chance with her. This was uncharted territory, so he had to make it up as he went along. If he was being honest, he was kinda into the fact that she didn’t fall all over him like the girls at the club. 

Jax slowly made his way to shop class, not concerned about getting there on time, since no one really cared about the vo-tech kids. Plus, there wasn’t any lecture since they were in the middle of a project, so as long as he finished it on time he was cool. Instead, he thought about having Tara back on his bike, and how to keep her there for as long as possible. Maybe he’d take her to eat before bringing her home, so he could feel her out. They’d never really hung out and he wanted the chance to know her better. Yet another first for him where a girl was concerned. Jax was always ready for school to be over, but the last bell couldn’t come fast enough for him today. 

Twenty minutes later, Jax was working on sanding down some grain edges when his beeper vibrated in his pocket. He took off his goggles and pulled the beeper out, cursing when he saw the number. It was never a good thing when his mom paged him, especially during school. 

He walked over to the table Opie was working at and showed him the page, “I gotta call her back, cover me while I use Carver’s phone.” Mr. Carver was the shop teacher, who Jax thought wasn’t too bad as far as teachers go - especially because he was always taking off during class for smoke breaks and leaving them unsupervised. 

Opie nodded and stood up, making his way with Jax to Carver’s grubby office. Jax flopped down in the desk chair and dialed his house. His mom answered on the first ring. “Yeah?” She barked into the phone, Jax laughed, “Hey ma, you rang?” Gemma’s voice softened slightly upon learning it was him. “Yes baby, I need you to cut out of there and come home. Club’s having guests tonight and all the prospects are out on a run, so you gotta step in.” Jax was psyched about helping out at the club, even if it was with his mom. “Yeah, no problem, I’ll leave now.” 

He let out a curse as soon as he hung up the phone, realizing this totally screwed up his plans with Tara. Maybe he could get whatever it was done quickly and get back in time... but he knew his mom, and he’d never get away without explaining why he wanted to go back to school. She’d know something was up, and he wasn’t ready to talk to her about Tara yet. Jax loved his mom, but she had a lot of opinions about everyone, and people who weren’t part of the club never fared well. That still left him with no way to give Tara a ride home, and he couldn’t just leave her hanging. He was not psyched about how this day was turning out, but maybe he could call Tara tonight and explain himself. He just hoped she wasn’t going to be totally over him after bailing like this. It sucked, but he didn’t have a choice. 

Jax ran his hands through his hair and made his way to Opie. “I need a favor...”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!! More to come - but if you liked it, please tell me!


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